


Touch

by MissMariel



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blood and Injury, Deceits name is Ethan, Gen, I wrote this a while ago, M/M, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, lil bit of angst, no beta we die like Roman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-12-28 05:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 6,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21131255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMariel/pseuds/MissMariel
Summary: Soulmates were a very normal thing, most people had at least one, some had more and some none at all. Ethan had known since he first learned about them that he'd have more than the average person would.ORHow one very happy pappy person adopts two social outcasts





	1. Worries

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sleepyqueerboi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyqueerboi/gifts).

> Wow, this has been sitting in my notes for quite a while, d'you guys even still remember this?  
Anyway, happy day of birth to my friend Cas, who enjoyed this when I first came up with the idea and therefore gets this for his birthday!

Soulmates were a very normal thing, most people had at least one, some had more and some none at all. Ethan had known since he first learned about them that he'd have more than the average person would. 

You see, everyone had a black mark on their body that indicated where their soulmate would first touch them. The most common one was the palm of your hand, which often indicated a hand shake. Ethan... Wasn't that lucky.

Since his birth everyone always assumed that he'd be a very aggressive individual, who'd meet his soulmates in a fight. Now, at twenty, he could barely look at himself in the mirror. The black hand print on his face, the knowledge that only his soulmate slapping him could turn his skin into a beautiful array of colors, was just too much. It didn't help that his other soulmark was on the knuckles of his right hand...

He'd always wondered how he'd meet his soulmates. Would he meet them both at once? Or on different occasions? What would spark the fight? Was it something he said? Or his soulmate? He wouldn't just punch a stranger, right? And surely his soulmates wouldn't either...

Over the years he'd developed some defense mechanisms to keep people away from him. Not that he had to, since everyone took one look at his soulmarks and instantly stayed away. 

He started lying. He told exactly what they wanted to hear. He learned how to do make up for the sole purpose of covering up the hand on his face. Eventually he even started picking fights with anyone in hopes of finding his soulmates. It wasn't rare that he came to the nurses office in high school with yet another blue eye or minor head injury. After a while he just learned how to take care of himself, because living alone isn't cheap.

His life spiraled quickly after that. With no family and no friends to look after him and his soulmates still nowhere to be found, he started becoming even more reckless, not caring about his own health anymore and picking more and more dangerous people to challenge and provoke. More often than not he was left half unconscious and beaten up in some kind of back alley behind some kind of bar.

And that's exactly where Patton found him.


	2. Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~*Flashback*~  
About 15 years earlier...

Remus never really cared much about this whole soulmate thing. His brother always fantasized about how he'd meet the princes of his dreams, how romantic it would be when he took hold of his wrist or the gentle lingering touch on his lower back, but he didn't care for that, not at all. Or at least that's what he tried to tell himself. But even he couldn't stop wondering about who they'd be.

The first mystery was lifted on his first day at school. Oh Roman was so jealous when he came home that day and proudly showed their parents the greens and blues and yellows dancing on his fingers. He still got a smile on his face whenever he thought back to that.

He wasn't a shy kid by any means, and sometimes that led to... Problems. Kids his age were scared of him, adults worried about him. Remus talked. _A lot._ Making him shut up was difficult. And what came out of his mouth was _nothing_ a six year old should know so much about. 

So he stood alone on the playground on his first day. Roman had quickly found friends that he was playing Defeat The Dragon with. They'd invited him to be their evil dragon, but he'd refused and so he was stuck watching his brother have fun without him. 

That is until another boy came up to him. He had curly, light brown hair, glasses that seemed way too big for his face and millions of tiny dots on his skin. Remus was amazed and confused and so he barely noticed when the boy introduced himself. He looked down on the outstretched hand between them, then back up at the boy in front of him. "What?" 

He smiled at him with the warmth of a thousand suns and repeated: "Hi, I'm Patton! It's so nice to meet you!" Remus blinked. He didn't seem annoyed that he hadn't paid attention and he actually seemed to mean what he said. Slowly he reached out and shook his hand, careful to only touch the fingertips on his completely black hand. A tingling sensation rushed into his fingers and when he pulled them back in surprise, he saw the colour slowly spreading and replacing the black. He looked up with wide eyes and found Patton staring back at him with the same amazed expression, his hand still stretched out. 

After a while his mind finally caught up <strike>well, somewhat</strike> and he answered: "I'm Remus..." 


	3. Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Pattons perspective

Patton had never considered himself an outsider, not in the traditional sense at least. Sure, he didn't have a lot of friends, if you could count your soulmate and his brother as friends, but they were very close. It has always been them against the world, especially him and Remus. They'd known each other for most of their lives and they were quite literally made for each other. 

But there was still a certain stigma against having multiple soulmates and since that fateful day in primary school most of Pattons hand was still black, only the tips of his fingers dipped into swirling blues and greens. 

Not that he'd have it any other way. He adored Remus despite, or maybe especially because of, his weirdness. It was good to have him in his life and after they confessed their feelings for one another they decided to move in together after college. It was really more obligatory than anything, seeing as they'd already spent every free moment they had together since they knew each other. At lunch, in class, on the way home - they went everywhere together. So much so that people started calling them The Siamese Twins. <strike>Much to Romans dismay. That was his twin. </strike>

There was another question though that he couldn't get out of his head since he was a teenager: What about their other soulmates? What would happen when they met them? There was no guarantee that their other soulmates were the same person. He really didn't want anyone to come between him and Remus. 

So he was very careful. He checked his own hand after every touch and he kissed Remus' knuckles every night before going to bed, to subtly check on his soulmark there. One night, they were about twenty years old and had just moved into a small apartment in the city together, he gently took his boyfriends hand and his heart stopped. 

"Remus, your knuckles... They're yellow!"


	4. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan doesn't need help. But maybe the universe wants to punish him anyway...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're confused about the time line, this is right after the first chapter  
So the last line was "And that's exactly where Passion found him."

Lying on the cold, wet ground, bleeding from a split lip and a cut near his hair line. He was starting to think that that was the only colour his soulmark would ever see. "Oh goodness, are you alright?" He vaguely sensed someone crouching down next to him before he felt soft hands cupping his face and gently wiping the blood away. 

"Can you hear me?" He gave a low grunt. "I'm a nurse, I can help you. But first we gotta get you somewhere safe." He felt the other man start to lift him up. "Do you live around here?" 

Ethan managed to shake his head, instantly regretting this as a sharp pain shot through him. "Alright, then you're coming with me." Wait what? No no no no no, that couldn't- He didn't even know this guy, he couldn't go with him. 

"Let me go...! Hey!" He struggled with every last bit of energy that he still had to get away from the other, but to no avail. When they reached the main street, the man had to set him down to call a cab. Quickly Ethan took a few steps away, pressing his hand against his head and leaning against the building for support. "Thanks, but... I really appreciate it, I do, but-" 

The other man turned to him with big eyes and he just couldn't get another word out. He couldn't lie to him, he was such a trusting person, he looked like he didn't know about all the wrong in the world <strike>(he did)</strike> and most importantly, he hadn't judged him for his soulmarks yet. 

"You're scared", he realized. Ethans eyes widened and he tried to step away as the other came closer, hands reaching out to calm him. "Of course you are, you don't even know me. You're probably traumatized." Gently he took Ethans hand, carefully brushing soft fingers over his knuckles. "I'm Patton Sterling, but my friends call me Pat." Patton gave a soft chuckle and Ethan couldn't help but stare. He was captivated by this... This pureness that the other emitted. After a long moment he cleared his throat. "Ethan." 

Patton smiled at him way too brightly for such a grim night. "Well Ethan, I'm glad to see you doing better. You _are_ doing better, right?" He nodded slightly. "Awesome! But you can still not just stay out here and I'd rather know you safe and warm. But if you don't want to come to a strangers place in the middle of the night - very understandable, may I say - then maybe I could bring you home?" 

Ethan stared at him. This man had showed him more compassion in the past five minutes than anybody else in the past five years. Maybe he should really go with him. And even in the worst case scenario, he could either get killed, which would put him out of his misery, or it'd just be like every other bar fight, which was something he was used to. 

Minutes passed as Ethan contemplated whether he deserved to be punished a bit more today or not. Pattons worried frown grew deeper and deeper. Finally he leaned a little closer and gently asked: "Ethan?" 

Ethan looked up. He'd made up his mind. Slowly he shook his head. "Take me to your place..." 


	5. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Pat and Remus...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know I'm late, shush  
I'm gonna try to keep uploading on Tuesdays though

Well actually they were more like a mix of yellow and blue, with a little bit of green in there too, but... 

"Oh really? I didn't notice...!" Patton frowned and gently kissed his knuckles. "You didn't notice when you got them?" Remus shook his head, slowly his grin turned into a frown, mirroring Patton, as he realized what a big deal this was. 

"Where were you today dear?", Patton asked, searching his face for any trace of... He didn't quite know what for, but he didn't find it, which left him feeling some relief. Remus shrugged. "Just where I always am. Work, then the cemetery, got us some stuff from the store and came home... I thought we could cook dinner together when you get home tomorrow." 

Patton smiled briefly and nodded, kissing his forehead. "I'd love that my dear. And you're sure you didn't touch someone today?" Remus chuckled a bit. "I definitely didn't punch someone today." Why did that sound sarcastic, Patton wondered? "But I might've brushed hands with someone on the subway..." He nodded slowly, processing what his boyfriend had said. "And you don't remember who it could've been?" 

"Nope, not at all! There were just too many people today Patty, it was so, _so_ full." The bright grin was back and Patton smiled tiredly, resting his head against the others chest. "Well, as long as you're content not knowing who-" 

"No! I wanna know who he is, please Patty, can we go look for him?" Patton sighed fondly. "It's gonna be pretty hard to find him if you don't even know what he looks like dear. Plus it's..." He glanced at the clock, while Remus mumbled something about something else being hard. "Half past ten. Can we go look for your soulmate tomorrow dear?" 

His boyfriend made a face for a split second, but then nodded and pulled him closer. "Alright Patty. Let's sleep." With that he kissed his head. Patton giggled as his mustache tickled him, then leaned up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I love you, Remus." 

"Sleepy sleepy time Patty, we need energy to find my soulmate." He giggled again, but complied and snuggled closer, his eyes closed and a soft smile on his lips. "Good night dear." 

"... Good night Patty." 


	6. Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Injured self-deprecating Ethan meets chaotic trash man Remus  
What could possibly go wrong?

It was already night time when they arrived at Pattons apartment. Ethan got out and followed him to the door, waiting for him to unlock it. As soon as it opened he heard noises from somewhere in the apartment and froze on the spot. 

"Oh Patty, you're late! I thought we were gonna cook together, but I already started without you, because I was hungry. Oh hello, who are you?" A man emerged from what had to be the kitchen <strike>please let it be the kitchen</strike> with a huge knife in his hand <strike>please let that be tomato sauce</strike> and wearing an apron that read" Kiss the co*k". Patton, to his surprise, didn't seem phased by this at all. 

"I'm sorry dear, I got held up. I found him in a back alley. He's bleeding, Remus, I couldn't just leave him there, he's-" He turned back to face Ethan, who was still staring at the knife and the apron and the mustache and the guy in general. And he might've been shaking, because when Patton placed his hand on his arm he actually jumped. "Are you alright Ethan?" 

The other guy stepped closer and held out his hand. "You're Ethan? Hi, I'm Remus, I'm Pattons soulmate." When Ethan didn't respond he just shrugged, put his hand in his pocket and continued talking. "Well one of them at least. We've yet to find the other one. We haven't found my other one either yet. Oh that doesn't look good, how did that happen?", he added, reaching out to touch the cut on his head, "Does that hurt?" Ethan leaned away from the finger, but he stumbled, hissing in pain when he fell against Patton, who luckily managed to keep him upright. 

"Careful there. We should probably lie you down and after I've had a look at your cut, we'll get some food into you and then you can sleep." Ethan nodded weakly. There wasn't really a point to argue against him and what he proposed sounded pretty good. 

"Alright then, this way please. Remus, deary, I'll be with you in a second, okay?" Remus nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen while Patton led him into the living room and to the couch. After gently pushing him down into a lying position, he got up again, looking him over with that worried frown that seemed ever-present. "Everything alright?" Ethan nodded, weakly blinking into the light. "Alright", Patton confirmed and turned the main light off, "I'll be right back, I'm just getting some things from the bathroom. Don't move." 


	7. Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They looked everywhere but couldn't find him. Then they did, in an unexpected way.

Being barely six years old, he didn't see his soulmate as a romantic interest at all, but the two boys quickly became best friends. And they stayed near friends for a very long time. And then they became boyfriends. Remus couldn't be happier. He was still happy when he found his second soulmate. 

Well, he didn't exactly find him, but he must've met him at least. His knuckles looked so, _so_ colorful when he got home that day. He thought it was beautiful, just like his other soulmark, and so Pattons initiate reaction worried him a bit. He knew that he'd never leave him, right? He was just excited to meet the other person that he was destined to be with. 

But Patton had agreed to help him go look for him the next day and that put his worries at ease. He could always rely on his best boyfriend to support him. So they went through Remus' entire routine, from waking up to his job at the flower shop, then to the cemetery to visit his father's grave and at last through the subway and to the grocery store across the street from their apartment. 

They met a great deal of people, but no one seemed to recognize Remus. Well, aside from his brother, who ran the flower shop with him, the old gardener at the cemetery and their neighbor, who they met at the store. But neither of those were his soulmate. 

Lunch time came and went and then Patton had to leave for work. They'd been cuddling since they got home, Remus moping about not having found his other soulmate and demanding they keep looking. Patton had assured him that they would find him in time and kissed his cheek gently. 

Now he was home alone again and tried to distract himself with some horror movies. But it just didn't work. Every time he saw the colorful spots on his knuckles where he must've brushed his soulmate's hand he couldn't stop staring at it, wondering who they were. After a while he simply turned off the movie that he hadn't paid attention to anyway and got up to get his art supplies and tried to draw what he imagined his soulmate to look like. He wasn't as good as his brother, especially when he actively tried to leave out the parts he was best at, like blood and violence, but he could manage a portrait that he was pretty satisfied with. Glancing at the clock he realised how much time had passed since Patton left and almost as if on command his stomach growled. Remus set his sketchbook down and made his way to the kitchen. He was a little sad that his boyfriend wasn't home yet to eat with him like they'd planned, but also excited to show him his picture later. 

But soon enough he heard the door open and went to greet his beloved. "Oh Patty, you're late! I thought we were gonna cook together, but I already started without you, because I was hungry." He stopped for half a second when he realized that Patton wasn't alone, but then smiled brightly at the newcomer. "Oh hello, who are you?"


	8. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ethan makes some strange discoveries...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is kinda short, sorry guys

Ethan groaned softly and looked around the room. He wasn't quite sure why he trusted these strangers. Sure, the one with the mustache seemed kinda weird, but they hadn't tried to kill him yet. 

Slowly he sat up, groaning again at the pulsing pain coming from his head. At least it was darker now, thanks to Patton. He could've fallen asleep, if it weren't for his self-preservation instincts. He rolled his eyes at the thought. They always showed up when he least wanted them, one of the few reasons he wasn't dead yet. Regardless of that, he decided, he needed to find out more about his surroundings. Maybe he could find a way to get out of here before Patton came back. His wandering eyes landed on a sketch book on the table next to him. The page it was opened to showed a portrait of a man. Ethan couldn't deny that he was interesting to look at, some would even call him attractive. <strike>And others might say that he had similarities with him...</strike> It was labeled as "My soulmate?" 

It looked like Pattons weird boyfriend speculated on who his other soulmate was, but hadn't met him yet. Weird, he hadn't seen any black soulmarks on either of them. Maybe it was an old drawing. But hadn't the guy said that they were still looking for them? Ethan frowned and absentmindedly ran his fingers over the blues and greens of what was probably a bruise forming right over the soulmark on his knuckles. 

He set the notebook back onto the table, careful not to smear blood on it and took another look around the room. The window wasn't an option, they were at least five stores up. He could try to sneak out of the front door, but he would have to pass by the kitchen and he could still hear Remus rattling with pots and pans in there. The possibility of him being seen and the other stopping him was too high. 

He sighed, near ready to resign himself to his fate. Before he could have another clear thought, Patton returned from the bathroom. 


	9. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton searches out Remus for moral support... And finds something he hadn't quite expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! Sorry for the involuntary winter break guys, I had to fight some technical difficulties

Patton sighed heavily as he closed the living room door behind him, leaning against it for a brief moment to gather his thoughts. Then he made his way not towards the bathroom, but into the kitchen, where Remus was cutting vegetables. He didn't seem to notice him sneaking closer and jumped slightly when Patton wrapped his arms around him from behind.

Pressing a kiss against his neck and resting his head on his shoulder, Patton could feel Remus' voice rumbling through his body: "Hey there Patty. You good?" He sighed and snuggled closer. "I don't know…" 

At that Remus set the knife down and wriggled around in his grip until he could turn around to face him. With a concerned frown he wrapped his arms back around Patton and pulled him closer against his chest, gently running his hand through his hair. 

"I think I'm just worried, you know? About Ethan. He seems unnecessarily reckless, and I'm not even a real nurse yet, and- I know, I can't tell him what to do, but I somehow feel like I need to protect him." 

Remus smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Oh Patty, you have such a good heart…" He took a step back so he could look him in the eyes and took a hold of his hands, squeezing them reassuringly. "Don't worry so much, you'll do amazing, I know it." 

Patton looked up at his soulmate. He really seemed to genuinely mean it. Then Remus brought up his hand to kiss his fingertips as he'd been known to do, but paused, staring at it. Patton frowned at him for a moment, then looked down at his hand to see what had thrown his love so off. 

He blinked, once, twice, three times. No, he wasn't imagining things. His black hand had turned a bright yellow with blues and greens mixed in. With wide eyes he looked back up at Remus, who was staring back at him, his mouth agape. 

A moment of silence passed, until Patton whispered breathlessly: "He's my soulmate…" 


	10. Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is unsure what to do and Remus is being a good boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bc these next two chapters are so short, you'll get two today! The other will be up when I get home later

Slowly Remus looked up at Patton as he was still holding his hands. His boyfriend looked… Distressed was the best word he could come up with. Like he wanted to bolt, but was frozen in place. 

"I…", he started and squeezed his hands once more. His mouth was dryer than the Sahara desert and an ugly feeling was creeping up his spine. Remus recognized it as what had made Patton so overly protective and suspicious less than a full day ago: Jealousy. 

Shaking his head briefly he started a second attempt to reassure Patton. "You know I'd never leave you, right?" Slowly Patton nodded. 

"Unless I wanted you to…" He smiled softly and tilted the other's head up to look at him. "Unless you told me to", he confirmed. 

"So if you want to, we can go talk to him together. I promise you're not alone in this Patty." 

Patton smiled shakily and squeezed his hands back, before carefully pulling away. "Thank you dear. I- I'd appreciate that. But not right now, alright?" He gave a small laugh. "I gotta think about this first." With that he kissed Remus' cheek and all but fled the kitchen. 

Remus looked after him for a long moment. Patton was so lucky to find his other soulmate before him, even if the circumstances weren't the best. And he was handling it all so well, his soulmate was such a strong man. He probably didn't really _need_ his help… 

Quickly he shook his head again and went back to making dinner. Remus was gonna be there for him no matter what! He promised him after all! And he'd do anything for his Patty. Even if that meant he'd been his boyfriend the longest time… 


	11. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has a lot to think about. Bathrooms are a great place for thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the other short chapter and then we're back to normal length next week!

Patton threw open the bathroom door and slammed it shut behind him again, before sliding down along it until he was sitting on the floor. He buried his face in his hands, breathing heavily. Distantly he realised that slamming doors seemed to become a habit of his and hoped that they wouldn't have to replace the locks. 

More presently in his mind though, were the thoughts about the recent events. Both he and Remus had met their respective other soulmate. And his was sitting injured in their living room, while he was in the middle of a breakdown. He'd left Remus in the kitchen and- Wow, he really was a lousy soulmate, wasn't he? Just panicked and stormed off… 

Patton took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, sitting up. He'd have to talk to Ethan alone first before he could get both his - _both his soulmates, oh gosh_ \- in one room. They'd have to talk about how to… Proceed, so to say. Heaven knew he didn't want to leave Remus! But what if Remus wanted to leave him? He did after all bring up that he'd leave if Patton asked him to. 

And who knew, maybe Ethan didn't even want to stay, maybe he'd rather go back home to his other soulmate. Patton closed his eyes momentarily and nodded to himself. Only one way to find out. With another nod to himself, he pushed himself off the ground and went to grab their first aid kit from below the sink. 

Before he entered the living room and faced Ethan again, he steeled himself against the conversation that was sure to come with another deep breath. Then, he put on a smile that he hoped was reassuring and opened the door.


	12. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Patton takes care of Ethan

He looked up as the door opened. Patton stood in the door frame, smiling weakly and holding a white box. Quickly Ethan scooted away from the table a bit to make it look like he hadn't been going through their personal belongings. 

"There you are. I was getting worried you'd just abandoned me", he tried to joke. He sounded pathetic. <strike>Wouldn't have been the first time, he thought darkly.</strike> But Patton just shook his head and came over to sit next to him. 

"I'm sorry, I just… I got held up talking to Remus." The nurse turned faintly pink at the admission and Ethan scoffed. Yeah, he could picture what had kept Patton from returning. But instead of saying anything he just made a dismissive gesture. "It's fine. Let's just get this over with." 

"Oh, of course!", Patton nodded and quickly opened the box to take out whatever supplies he needed. Although… He seemed a bit lost in the face of what to do. Glancing over his shoulder, Ethan pointed at a small bottle. "You might wanna start with disinfecting it." Patton glanced up at him for a moment, then back at the bottle. Nodding quickly he took it out and set the box down on the floor. 

"Yeah, you're right, thank you!" Ethan huffed as he leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Don't even know why I'm helping you, shouldn't you know that as a nurse?" Frowning and giving Patton another once-over, he added: "Although… Aren't you a bit young to be a nurse?" 

The other fidgeted for a moment, nervously avoiding his gaze, before he sighed and conceded with a nod. "To be entirely honest, I… I'm barely out of training." He turned to look at him, eyes wide and glossy, lower lip trembling slightly. "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you right after meeting you!" 

Ethan sighed once more and gave up his pose to lean forward and take the disinfectant from him. "Alright then, give me that. I'll show you." Patton nodded and although still upset, seemed at least a bit relieved. "Alright…" 

"Alright", Ethan repeated unnecessarily and somewhat awkwardly. "Grab the tissues or cotton pads or whatever you have and use this stuff to clean the wound. _Carefully._" He gave Patton a pointed look, but the other only nodded quickly and dove back into the box, seemingly not bothered by his cold demeanor. 

Internally sighing and shaking his head, Ethan leaned back again." Can't believe you've never even taken care of a minor headwound… I don't even have a concussion." He huffed as Patton got to work with another quick, "I'm sorry." 

"I don't even know why you're helping me at all. Most people would've just left me there, once they saw that I was alive." And some even before that, he added in his head. "Well", Patton sat back to look him in the eye, "I'm not most people. Now hold still so I don't accidentally hurt you." 

Ethan blinked puzzled, staring at this… Stranger, who'd just picked him off the street and insisted on taking care of him for whatever reason. But with a heavy sigh he eventually just closed his eyes and let Patton do his work.


	13. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethans world comes crashing down around him...

With Ethans help Patton quickly cleaned up the blood and disinfected the cut in his lip and near his hair line. Then he put a small bandage on his head and sat back to admire his work.

Well, more like admire Ethans face. The other still had his eyes closed and almost looked asleep. He was pretty cute, Patton thought, all the sharpness gone from his face under Pattons careful fingers. Hesitantly he ran his fingertips over the bright yellowish green on his cheek, tracing one of the blue swirls slowly.

Suddenly a hand snapped up to grip his wrist and when he turned to look at Ethan in shock, he was met with an ice cold glare. "Don't." 

"I-I'm sorry, I was just-" Ethan huffed and pushed his hand away rather roughly, getting up and grabbing his leather jacket from the back of the couch. "I know what you were thinking. I should leave now." His soulmate sighed. "I don't need your pity…" 

"Pity?" Patton frowned and got up too. "I'm not pitying you, why would-" He stopped as he realised. "Ethan… When was the last time you looked in a mirror?" Ethan didn't even look at him, just shrugging on his jacket and keeping his eyes on the ground. His voice was trembling slightly as he answered: "I know, horrible, isn't it? That's not a soulmark, it's a curse! I probably deserve meeting my soulmate like that, just for who I am as a person! C'mon, say what you're thinking, I've heard it all before anyway!" 

He was tense now, shaking slightly, his hands balled into fists at his side, and he sounded like he was going to break down crying any second. But at least he wasn't trying to leave anymore. Patton sighed, nodding slowly. "You do", he conceded quietly. 

"What?", Ethan gasped out, now definitely crying. Gently Patton took his shoulders and turned him to face the window. In the darkness of the glass lit only by the interior of the apartment, Ethan could see his mirror image. He could see the tear tracks on his cheeks. He could see a black eye forming around his right eye. He could see the bandage around his head.

But more importantly, underneath that, he could see his face adorned with a colorful handprint. And next to him the same hand that Patton was holding up. 


	14. Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus hasn't heard from the others in a while. He can't help worrying...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter guys, we're getting closer to the end!

After a while Remus had finished dinner. Well, as finished as it would get for now, it was in the oven at least. With a look at the clock, he realised he hadn't heard anything from Patton <strike>or Ethan</strike> in over half an hour. He frowned. Were they still talking? Or had Patton simply decided that Ethan was the only soulmate he wanted, and Remus should just leave? But surely he would've at least told him that, right? Right, he decided with a nod. He should just go check on them, see what took them so long and let them know that dinner was almost ready. 

So without even taking off his apron, he made his way to the living room. The door was still slightly ajar and even from the hallway he could hear muffled sobbing. Frown deepening, he stepped closer and pushed the door open. What he saw made his heart stop, and not in the good way that it so often did when Patton kissed him. Inside Ethan and Patton were sitting on the couch, facing each other and Ethans head buried in the crook of Pattons neck. The sobbing was definitely coming from him, as Patton gently rubbed his back and whispered reassuring words to him. He was facing away from the door and neither of them had noticed Remus yet. 

Should he just leave? This seemed like a very personal moment and he definitely could do it. But something told him that he shouldn't, he should stay and at the very least ask what was wrong. So he cleared his throat and closed the door, maybe a bit louder than he had to to get their attention. 

Sniffling and wiping his nose with his hand, Ethan looked up as Patton turned around to face him with wide eyes. 

"Hey, uh… Dinner's almost done." He smiled awkwardly. _Well that was a great start, Remus, really._ He should've just left while he had the chance. "I, uh… Sorry, I didn't want to- I'll just… Yeah", he stuttered out, pointing over his shoulder and started to turn back to flee. 

"Wait!" Patton stopped him, reaching his hand out to him and when he turned back, his soulmate smiled softly and patted the space next to him. "C'mere dear, please." Remus glanced at Ethan for a moment, who seemed rather unsure, but then nodded too and beckoned him closer. With a sigh he made his way over to them, stepping over their abandoned first aid kit on the floor, and plopped down between them, snuggling close to Patton. 

He in turn placed his arm around his shoulders and, gently rubbing his thumb against him, kissed his head. "We have quite a lot to talk about my dear…", Patton whispered into his hair. 


	15. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking and lots of crying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go guys, last chapter... I'll miss this. When I'm done with my current projects, I definitely want to write a sequel/prequel/extension of this AU.  
But for now, I hope you enjoy!

Ethan looked up in shock as he heard someone come in. He'd just found out that one of his soulmates wasn't _actually_ out for his blood, he couldn't handle whatever that other guy wanted from him now. He internally cringed at his awkwardness when he told them about the dinner and froze for a moment when Patton told him to come sit with them. But he jumped over his own shadow and nodded, waving his hand for him to come closer. 

The other - Remus, right? - sat down between them and cuddled into Pattons side, promptly earning himself a kiss from him. Ethan turned away, a pang of jealousy shooting through him. But he quickly looked back up when he felt someone squeeze his hand. 

Patton, of course. The almost-not-quite-nurse smiled at him softly, still holding his other soulmate close. 

"It's gonna be alright. I promise." He looked down at Remus and added: "I don't want to leave either of you. You're both my soulmates and I care about you, so much." In his lap, Remus stirred. 

"Wait, you've told him?" Ethan chuckled weakly and against his better judgment placed a hand on his back. "How else would he have gotten me to stay?" Now Remus had to twist his whole upper body just to get a look at the man behind him, frowning in confusion. "And you agreed? Even though…" He trailed off, but Ethan had a rough idea of what he was thinking. 

"Even though you're his boyfriend already? Yeah, I did. Look", he sighed and started to rub small circles into the others back with his knuckles, "I don't mean to replace you in any way. I swear, I'm sure we can coexist." 

"Maybe even more than that…", Patton mumbled. Well now he had their attention. He turned bright red under their gazes and cleared his throat nervously. "There's, uh… There's something else I've noticed. Ethan, did you take the tram home yesterday, let's say, uh… Between four and six?" 

He blinked at him in surprise. "I- Yeah, I did, how did you…" But he didn't get to finish his sentence, because in that moment Remus jumped up, knocking his hand off his back and grabbing Pattons hands. "You mean…?" Patton nodded, smiling slightly nervously. 

Whatever secret message they were exchanging, it seemed to really excite Remus, because the next second he'd let go of Pattons hands and had turned around to face Ethan, beaming brightly. "Can I see your hands?" 

He blinked slowly and held out his hands hesitantly. "Sure…?" With that permission, Remus quickly grabbed his hands and turned them over, apparently looking for something. Ethan had to bite his lip a few times not to wince, but eventually Remus' eyes fell on his right knuckles and his face light up even more. 

"What are you-" Ethan was once again cut off by Remus hugging him tightly. "You're my soulmate! We're all soulmates! I can't believe I found you!" 

"I, uh… Wait, what?" Patton smiled at him sheepishly. "You two must've touched in the crowded tram yesterday without noticing. The soulmarks on your knuckles match up." He blinked slowly and looked down at what he'd _thought_ was just another bruise. "Oh…" 

Remus squeezed him tighter for a moment, then pulled away completely, head lowered. "I'm sorry. I should've asked first, I just got so excited… You don't have to, like, like me too, if you don't, it's completely okay, I swear, if you just want to be with Patty, I-" 

"What? What are you even talking about, why would I only want Patton? Like, no offense to you Pat, but come on." Remus looked up at him with a mix of confusion, fear and something else. Maybe surprise…? 

"I… I just thought…" Ethan interrupted him again by gently taking his hands again and looking him deep into the eyes. "Remus, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this day? You couldn't get rid of me if you'd beat me up the first time we met." In the background Patton made a concerned noise, but he just continued: "You are _both_ so much more than what I could have ever dreamed of, I wouldn't give you up for the world." 

Now it was Remus' turn to start crying apparently. Quickly Ethan hugged him and rubbed his back to sooth him. "Sshh, sshh, it's alright, please… Don't cry." Remus hiccuped from where he was smushed against his chest. "I'm sorry… I don't wanna give you up either." That brought a soft smile to Ethans face and he pulled _his soulmate_ closer. 

At this point in time Patton was starting to feel a little left out and so he just threw himself on top of the other two, wrapping his arms around them best he could. "I'm so glad we finally found you, I love you two so much!" Ethan froze for a moment under the sudden extra weight - both physically and emotionally - but relaxed rather quickly, when he remembered that he was safe here. These were _his soulmates. _They wouldn't hurt him. He could finally let go. Maybe life wasn't out to get him after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // And then the fire alarm went off bc they all forgot about dinner XD

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna update the warnings as I go along, but as you can probably already guess this will have sympathetic Deceit and Remus


End file.
